A Tree of Life

Chapter 8

The Mansion was called “Tree of Life” for a very good and valid reason, as it changed as well as started the new lives of many throughout history.” Mr. Cohen noted.  “This happened because of the chance of a new life it gave, as well as the fact there had been quite a few who were born there as well.  Sometimes it was just referred to as “The Mansion,” in order to save words.  But its legal title is “Tree of Life.”  It was built half a decade before the American Revolution.  At the time the original family immigrated to the new land, the concept of last names had not been thought of yet.  Children were called sons or daughters of their father’s first name.  So Samuel’s children would be called son or daughter of Samuel.  Later on in years, the family chose to use the name of Cohen, although how they arrived at the name is a story in itself which will be told much later. A real tree of life is an olive tree but, because the tree planted at the Mansion came from Czechoslovakia where the original people once lived, we use a beech tree instead to mean it.

Chapter 13

Back in Europe, when she’d overheard the journalists speaking about the conference they’d turned to discussing the situation between Germany and the Catholic Church.  The two men had been at a secret meeting where they’d learned about the deal the pope had made with Hitler and the German Catholic authorities.  In exchange for protecting the German Catholics against what was happening to others in terms of property seizures and closing of churches, the Pope would be forced to keep the slaughter of so many a secret.  Becca had also heard them talking about a man named Bonhoffer.  He’d refused to give into the lies and spoke the truth as much as he could in his sermons and elsewhere.

Chapter 9

Matisse used exotic colors, but then he was in Tripoli which at the time was in what was called the Ottoman Empire.  There the vegetation and plant life that had different colors than we know.  Matisse used paints made from those plants which is what gave the colors he used, as paints are made from it.  At one point he spent some time in prison, where he painted one of his pictures, which was of the interesting foliage outside the window of his cell.  The foliage he painted looks a lot like a plant that grows near the ocean in very hot weather, deep in the south.  I think I remember hearing that plant is in the state of Florida,  and is either a plant called Lamb's Ear or a variation of it. 

Chapter 1

He remembered he was sitting right next to the canvas on the back of the truck, and saw a tear in it.  Having seen the tear long before the truck was blown up; he began tearing away at it, mostly for something to do.  Weak with hunger he never thought he’d still have the strength to break open the carelessly tied canvas, to be able to get out without being caught.  But a man sitting next to him joked about wishing the resistance fighters would somehow intervene.  “Who knows?  With our luck maybe they’ll blow up the truck.”  “Be careful of what you wish for!” Jakob retorted angrily.  He glared at the man who made the stupid joke.  Even if he somehow sensed he might end up dying where he was going too, he would never wish anyone else to be hurt as well.

Chapter Six

The Mother Superior did remember hearing stories told when she was growing up about legends secret rooms and escapes of political refugees and people who had been unjustly accused.  She wondered if each tunnel was a hiding place in itself or if they just led to the special hidden room.  She needed to laugh a little to ease the tension she was feeling, although she knew there really wasn’t much time for it.  So she chided herself for being silly and concentrated with an even greater effort now.  Then she saw how all the tunnels led to the one room beneath the mountain that was connected to a secret escape route.  The secret escape route was like the hole in a well that dropped fifty feet below.  Fortunately, this one had holes to put one’s foot on so they could easily climb down.

But what did it drop into?